LANSING, Mich — People living at a Lansing homeless encampment known as the Back 40 are facing eviction after private property owners filed a no-trespassing order.
Lansing police confirmed the order for the property along North Larch Street, stating it is their job to enforce it and clear the area.
The city said it has sent homeless street outreach teams and the Lansing Police Department's social work team to the encampment multiple times to connect people with resources.
Michelle Gondal with Essential Blessings, a group that delivers food and personal care items to the encampment, wishes the city had provided more help before the order was filed.
"It would be fine if they had a plan... but there’s nil plan, they come in and tell them to go," Gondal said.
"We need to have a plan, we need to get all the organizations together and we need to look at what housing we have available, what shelters to we need to get these people the help and eliminate this," Gondal said.
Amber Whitmore has been unhoused for about a year and lives at the Back 40. She avoids traditional shelters because she has a service dog named Luna.
"Back here, we have tried to turn it into a community where people safe," Whitmore said.
Whitmore said life without housing is mentally, emotionally, and physically damaging.
"This is not healthy for anybody... I have diabetes, I have congestive heart failure, high blood pressure seizures," Whitmore said.
Despite the uncertainty of the encampment's future, Whitmore said she is not scared about what comes next.
"Not really, I have learned not to have fear," Whitmore said.
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